James Lawrence Cabell
James Lawrence Cabell (1813–1899) was a professor of anatomy, physiology, and surgery at the University of Virginia. During the American Civil War, he served as director and chief surgeon of the Charlottesville General Hospital, helping to maintain operations and care for hundreds of Confederate soldiers throughout the war.
Early Life
Cabell was born in Nelson County, Virginia on August 26, 1813. He was the nephew of one of the founders of the University of Virginia, Joseph C. Cabell.[1] Cabell moved to Richmond in 1817 after the death of his mother.
Education
Cabell enrolled at the University of Virginia in 1829.[2] Cabell majored in literary studies and graduated with a Masters of the Arts degree on July 18, 1833. He attended medical school at the University of Maryland, graduating on September 10, 1834. Cabell obtained further training in Philadelphia and Paris.[1]
Career
Cabell applied to be a professor of medicine at UVA on May 14, 1837. He started the position in December 1837.[1] He eventually became the Chair of Anatomy, Physiology, and Surgery.[2] Dr. Cabell explored ideas about heredity, public health, and social hygiene that influenced early eugenics thought, but he did not participate in coercive eugenics programs and focused primarily on medical and public health reforms.
He was also an initial member of the board of the Charlottesville and University Street Railway Company. [3]
Civil War
As Chair of Medicine at University of Virginia, Dr. Cabell led the establishment and operation of a American Civil War hospital in the Charlottesville area. The hospital used both university and city facilities to care for hundreds of Confederate soldiers.[2]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Web. James Lawrence Cabell, One of the Most Influential of America's Early Surgeons, Joseph Dubose, The American Surgeon, 2015, retrieved July 9, 2024.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Web. J. L. Cabell (1813–1889), Encyclopedia Virginia, retrieved July 9, 2024.
- ↑ Book. Charlottesville’s Street Railway System and its Entrepreneurs, 1866-1936 (1980), Jefferson Randolph Kean, (George Mason University Master’s Thesis, retrieved January 24, 2026.